Method of fabricating a valve member having a body and seat of different metals



May 11, 1954 R. E. JUHNKE ET AL 2,677,873 METHOD OF F'ABRICATING A VALVE MEMBER HAVING A BODY AND SEAT OF DIFFERENT METALS Filed Sept 26 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y XX NW1]!!! m;

Hllllllll PO) 4?. Q/C/H VAE GEO P65 Cr96'72F/Er3 INVENTOR.

y 1954 R. E. JUHNKE ETAL 2,677,876

I A METHOD OF FABRICATING A VALVE MEMBER HAVING A BODY AND SEAT OF DIFFERENT METALS Filed Sept. 26, 1949 2 e s-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Patented May 11, 1954 METHOD OF FABRICATING A VALVE MEM- BER HAVING A BODY AND SEAT OF DIF- FERENT METALS Roy E. Juhnke and Geor ge Castera,

Los Angeles,

Calif., assignors to Bardco Manufacturing &

Sales Company, tion of California Los Angeles, Calif., a, corpora- Application September 26, 1949, Serial No. 117,912

1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to heteroof machining, strength, and its excellent casting properties.

entirely suitable. This portion is the peripheral edge of a gate and the seat against which the gate contacts when closed.

In order to achieve a relatively closely fitting valve, it is necessary that the valve seat and the contacting edge of the valve :be fairly closely machined so as to make a tight sliding fit with each other, and it is also desirable that these contacting surfaces be relatively non-corrosive so that such close fit is maintained after extended use. Because of the fact that cast iron is subject to rusting, particularly on surfaces thereof which have been machined, it has been the previous practice in constructing gate valves and the like to secure to the contacting surfaces strips of brass, bronze, or other relatively non-corrosive material. Such strips are usually secured by bolting them to the valve proper or securing them by pins, rivets, or other attachment members.

The disadvantage of this procedure is that it requires a number of additional machining operations to produce closely fitting contact surfaces between the valve seat and the member to which it is attached and is also somewhat unsatisfactory in that it produces additional machined surfaces in the cast iron which are more susceptible to corrosion than the unmachined surfaces of such materials.

Bearing in mind the foregoing practice, it is a general object of the present invention to produce manufactured articles having portions of dissimilar cast metals which are integrally secured together during the casting operation.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provid in a valve structure of the general class described, a relatively non-corrosive valve seat which is secured to the body portions of the valve during the casting operations in which the latter are produced.

It is another object of the invention to produce a pressure plate such, e. g., as a valve gate or cylinder head, which is constructed principally of a first metal having a bearing ring of a dissimilar second metal embedded therein.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a method for casting articles of the class above described.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a gate valve, a seat structure in which the seat is hermetically bonded to the body portion.

A still further object of the invention is to prothe class above The foregoing and additional objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description thereof, consideration being given likewise to the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a partially sectioned side elevational view of a gate valve which includes portions embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is an nd elevational view of the valve illustrated in Figure 1, portions of the structure being broken away to reveal underlying parts;

Figure 3 is a horizontal enlarged section taken on the line 3-3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view partially sectioned, showing a valve seat of the type incorporated in Figure 1 prior to its attachment to the body portions;

Figure 5 is an elevational section taken through a valve seat, core, and match plate, illustrating one of the steps of securing a valve seat of the type shown in Figure 4 to the cast body of a valve;

Figure 6 m an elevational section taken through a mold prior to the pouring of a valve gate to secure the same to the seat illustrated in Figures 4 and 5; and

Figure 7 is an elevational section taken through a fixture employed in hermetically sealing the joint between the valve seat and gate.

Referring particularly to Figure 1, it will be seen that the gate valve embodying the present invention includes a valve body I divided along a horizontal joint into an upper body section l2 and a lower body section l3. The lower body section I3 is secured in a concrete irrigation pipe l4, either by casting the concrete pipe directly in place around attachment flanges l5 or placing the pipe M in contact with the valve body l3 and grouting the joints.

Within the lower body section la in the position illustrated in Figure 1 is a flow controlling gate i5, shown in closed position in Figure l, which may be raised into the upper portion of the valve ID to open an unrestricted longitudinal passage I! through the valve. When the valve H1 is in its closed position, illustrated in Figure l, the gate I6 is not only lowered to its lowermost position therein but is thrust against a valve seat which is integrally formed in the lower body section l3. This axial thrust (to the left in Figure 1) is accomplished by means of a pair of tracks 2| which are cast in the body section l3 or otherwise secured therein, the tracks 2| having outwardly tapered terminal sections 22 at the lower ends thereof.

The gate i5 is carried in a carriage 25 by means of rearwardly projecting lugs 26 formed in the gate l6 and relatively loosely received in a pair of sockets Zl' formed in the carriage 25. Out- \vardly projecting lugs 28 are formed in the carriage 2'5 and engaged with the tracks 2| so that as the carriage 25 moves downwardly, the tapered portions 22 on the track 2| force the carriage 25 sideways to thrust the gate be tightly against its seat 20. Upward and downward movement of the carriage 25 and the gate it carried thereby is accomplished by means of a lead nut 35, mounted in the carriage 25 as shown in Figure 2, which lead nut 30 is engaged with a vertical lead screw 3| journaled in the upper body section i2. The lead screw 3| is provided with a T-handle 32 by which it may be rotated in one direction or another to raise or lower the carriage 25 and the seat It carried thereby.

It is desirable that the valve gate l6 have a relatively close fit against its seat 20. To this end, the seat 20 is constructed of cast bronze which may be machined to form a fiat, noncorrosive, contact surface, and the valve gate I5 is similarly provided with a cast bronze bearing ring 4|! which is cast in place.

While in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the material of the valve body section it and the gate i6 is cast iron, and while the seat 29 and the bearing ring 4c are cast bronze, it will be realized that other materials may be employed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Both the seat 23) and the bearing ring 4|! are formed with a reentrantly shaped annular key or looking portion 43 (see Figure 5) which has a dovetail crosssection.

For a discussion of the procedure by which the seat 26 and the bearing ring 40 are secured in place, reference should now be had to Figures 4 through '7, wherein the steps of producing the gate it are illustrated. The procedural steps in securing the valve seat 20 in place are substantially the same as those used in fabricating the gate i6 wherefore a description of the construction of the latter will serve to illustrate both processes.

The first step in producing the gate 16 is to cast the bearing ring 49 by conventional casting methods, the ring 40 being formed with integrally cast upwardly projecting prong-like members 4|,

the purpose of which will hereinafter be described.

After the casting of the articles shown in Figure 4, the prongs 4| are bent inwardly as illus trated in Figure 5, whereby to lock the rings into a baked core and also prevent distortion of the ring when the same is brought into contact with molten iron during the casting process about to be described.

After the prongs 4| have been bent inwardly, as illustrated in Figure 5, the same is placed against the upper surface of a match plate 45, the dovetail locking portion 46 of the ring 40 being received in an annular groove 41 in the pattern on the upper or cope surface of the match plate 45. Conventional baked core material 48 is rammed in place against the upper surface of the match plate 45 and is thereafter baked to form a solid core with the ring 40 embedded therein. The baked core material 48 is used in sufiicient quantity to fill an entire cope section 5|! of a conventional founding flask, and conventional pouring sprues 48 are formed in the core 48.

The drag section 52 of the flask corresponding to the cope section 59 is rammed up against the underside of the match plate 45, using green sand 53. Pouring gates 5| are formed in the drag in alignment with the pouring sprues 49. The cope 5i} and the drag 52 are then assembled as illustrated in Figure 6, and molten iron is poured into the sprue openings 49 and flows inwardly, filling the mold cavity in contact with the bearing ring 40, embedded in the core 48. By reason of the dovetail shape of the locking portion 46 of the ring 40, the latter is firmly embeded and locked into the iron gate l6 when the latter solidifies. During the solidifying of the iron gate IS, the ring 4!! acts somewhat in the nature of a chill, thus preventing the iron from fusing the ring, but nevertheless effecting a tight interlocking connection between the gate I6 and the ring 40.

After the gate I6 is solidified, it is removed from the mold and the core material 48 broken away, whereupon the pouring gates 5| are cut off, and the upper or contact surface (see Figure 7) of the ring 40 is machined smooth, removing the prongs 4|.

In some instances, it is necessary to provide further sealing means between the gate l6 and the ring 40 to prevent the escape of fluid through the joint between these two parts. This further sealing procedure is illustrated in Figure '7, wherein it will be seen that a sealant fixture G0 is secured to the gate I6 by means of a number of C-clamps 6|. The fixture 6|) is in the form of a disc substantially equal in diameter to that of the gate l6, and is provided on its lower surface with a pair of relatively soft rubber sealing gaskets 62, one of which contacts the machined surface 55 of the bearing ring 40 and the other of which contacts the surface of the gate |E itself at a point spaced inwardly from the ring 49. A central fluid-introducing passage E3 is formed in the fixture 60 and communicated by a number of radial passages 64 with an annular space 65 between the two sealing gaskets 5'2. Thus, fluid introduced under pressure through the passage 63 passes outwardly through the radial passages 34 into the annular space 65 and can escape therefrom only through the joint between the gate l6 and the ring 40. Accordingly, fluid sealant, which may be any one of a number of viscous, resinous materials, is introduced through the passages 63 and 64 under pressure and is thus forced out through the joint. When the gate I6 is thereafter removed from the fixture, such material as has been forced into the joint hardens, and forms a hermetic seal therein.

In the present instance, the sealant used is liquid phenolic resin square inch. To further enhance the sealing action, it has been found that the assembled gate and ring may be preheated to between 200 and 250 Fahrenheit, thus making the passage of fluid therethrough easier by reason of the reduced vismerized to form which escapes around the edge of the gate l9 may be removed and the gate is ready for use.

As above stated, the steps of the process used in securing the seat to the lower body section 13 are substantially identical to those employed in securing the gate I6 and the ring 40 together.

While the method and valve structure shown in the drawings and described herein are fully capable of achieving the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it will be realized that they are capable of considerable modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. For this reason, we do not mean to be limited to the forms shown and described, but rather to the scope of the appended claim.

We claim:

A process for casting heterogeneous valve members which comprises the steps of: casting a bronze ring having support projections on one surface and an annular reentrantly shaped key portion on an opposite surface; placing said ring against the cope surface of a founding pattern for a valve member with said first surface of said ring away from said pattern; ramming up a core removing said member from said mold; from said ring to form a smooth bearing surface; preheating said member to a temperature between 200 and 250 Fahren- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 9,142 Strehli Apr. 6, 1880 316,588 Weber Apr. 28, 1885 362,059 Campbell May 3, 1887 476,313 Richards June 7, 1892 496,136 Richards Apr. 25, 1893 709,491 Kennedy Sept. 23, 1902 1,103,591 Kneass July 14, 1914 1,390,750 Bell Sept. 13, 1921 1,729,747 Palm Oct. 1, 1929 1,895,219 Begtrup Jan. 24, 1933 2,157,453 Jaeger May 9, 1939 2,220,210 Chace Nov. 5, 1940 2,255,184 Osenberg Sept. 9, 1941 2,242,441 Shoemaker et a1. May 20, 1941 2,290,249 Piperoux July 21, 1942 2,312,579 OBrien Mar. 2, 1943 2,482,841 Cooper Sept. 27, 1949 2,483,056 Leckie Sept. 27, 1949 

